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Following an outcry over the terms that apply to the purchase of new leasehold properties in some circumstances, the Government conducted a public consultation. This has now reported and legislation is expected soon to deal with the abuses identified. Many unfair practices were reported as the sale of new properties on a leasehold, rather than freehold, basis has proliferated and some of the leases contain onerous terms that apply in the long run. Describing the practices as 'practically feudal and entirely unjustifiable', the Secretary of State for Communities and Local...

Even the most apparently trustworthy people can sometimes turn out to be anything but and that is one good reason why it is sensible to appoint a solicitor as executor of your will. In one case that proved the point, an ex-police officer took advantage of his position to steal his disabled cousin's inheritance from her father. The cousin was vulnerable to financial exploitation and, in the belief that the officer was well placed to protect her interests, her father appointed him as his executor. Following her father's death, however,...

One of the issues that proves difficult for executors of deceased persons who have Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) is that the interest on them is taxable once the owner has died. Many of these accounts are small and, given that interest rates have been very low for years, the effort associated with the necessary tax compliance is disproportionate. The Government has recognised this and a statutory instrument, the Individual Savings Account (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2017, has now been enacted which exempts ISAs from Income Tax for deaths after 5...

The legal implications of cohabitation are often poorly understood by those who choose to live together outside of marriage or civil partnership, and the lack of protection for cohabitants often comes as an unpleasant surprise to many, especially when a relationship ends or one of the partners dies. Given that there are more than three million cohabiting couples in the UK, this lack of awareness produces dozens of court cases annually as long-term cohabitants find they must fight to try to realise their expectations of their legal rights. However, a recent...